Round robin continues at Canadian Seniors in Yellowknife

The round robin continues at the Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Yellowknife, N.W.T. as the standings start to take shape.

On the women’s side, Ontario’s Marilyn Bodogh, Manitoba’s Lois Fowler and Prince Edward Island’s Jennifer Scott remain undefeated after five draws. Alan O’Leary of Nova Scotia remains the only undefeated skip in the men’s draw as the round-robin moves into its third day.

In Draw 4 on Sunday, two provinces saw action with one another in both gender divisions. This time it was Northern Ontario and Manitoba. On the women’s side of the ledger, Fowler defeated Northern Ontario’s Vicky Barrett by a 7-4 count while the tables were turned in the men’s game as Robbie Gordon’s foursome came out on top with a 7-4 verdict over former Canadian Senior Champion Kelly Robertson.

In another provincial double bill, this time involving teams from British Columbia and New Brunswick, it was the west coasters who grabbed the wins. In the women’s game, B.C.’s Penny Shantz drew the button to count two and overcome a one-point deficit, posting a 6-5 win. In the men’s game, B.C.’s Wes Craig ran N.B.’s Mark Armstrong out of stones in the last end to hold his lead, posting a 7-4 final.

The third duel in the land of the midnight sun between provinces saw Alberta’s Mark Johnson charge out of the gate at full gallop leaving Denis Laflamme from la belle province in the dust, 10-2. In the companion tussle between the women from Alberta and Quebec, an extra end was required for Alberta’s Bakker to notch the point for the 7-6 decision over Catherine Derick.

Team Quebec’s Normand Bouchard, Michael Lachance and skip Denis Laflamme in action at the 2014 Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Yellowknife, N.W.T. (Photo James MacKenzie)

The men from Whitehorse continued their winning ways. Yukon’s George Hilderman, scored one in an extra end to defeat P.E.I.’s Ted MacFadyen, posting a final score of 11-10.

On Sunday evening, Draw Five included a battle between Saskatchewan’s Lorraine Arguin and Manitoba’s Fowler, who won 8-6 to remain undefeated.

Peter Mellor of Ontario bounced back from an 11-2 morning loss to score five unanswered points against the hometown N.W.T. team skipped by Glen Hudy for a 12-7 victory.

Manitoba’s Robertson also rebounded from a morning loss to record a 9-4 win over Saskatchewan’s Darrell McKee, mostly on the strength of five points scored in ends 7-9.

O’Leary of Nova Scotia kept his unblemished record intact with a solid performance against Northern Ontario, posting an 8-5 win.

P.E.I.’s Jennifer Scott blanked the ninth end with the score tied at five against the hometown women skipped by Ann McKellar-Gillis. The strategy worked as the east coast islanders scored the winning point with last stone advantage in the final end, recording a 6-5 victory.

In similar fashion, Alberta’s Bakker scored the game-winning point in the 10th end for a win over B.C.’s Shantz.

In the night’s final engagement, B.C.’s Craig stole two in an extra end to defeat Alberta’s Johnson 11-9.

Play continues Monday with another three draws of eight games each.

The winners of the 2014 Canadian Seniors will represent Canada at the 2015 World Senior Curling Championships, at a site and date to be announced by the World Curling Federation. Last year’s Canadian champions, skipped by Colleen Pinkney of Truro, N.S., and Wayne Tallon of Fredericton, N.B., are competing in this year’s World Seniors, April 23-30 at Dumfries, Scotland. Since the World Seniors began in 2002, Canada has won eight men’s and nine women’s titles.

Draw results for the 2014 Canadian Seniors will be instantly available at www.curling.ca.